Uber marketer: The people who complain most about your brand are probably fraudsters
The head of international expansion at taxi booking app Uber has claimed the people who complain most about a brand are the ones who are likely to be trying to cheat it, so brand owners should learn to take trolling in their stride.
In answer to a question from the audience at a panel debate in Hong Kong last night about the credibility brands should give social media feedback, Uber’s Sam Gellman said that “people who complain the most are the fraudsters.”
“Some customers tell us that they’ll never ride again with Uber, and by the time you’ve taken the time to respond to them, they’ve taken another trip using our service,” he said.
Gellman noted that the company expends a lot of its resources on mining user behaviour and finds that “the guys who commit fraud or game the system complain the most.”
“If you notice that they’re not actually using your product, be wary. I’m not saying ignore them. But data is key,” he said, adding that for every million taxi trips made using Uber in Hong Kong, there are around 15 complaints about the service.
Another panelist was Alastair Bullock, senior manager at Infiniti RedBull Racing. The former WWF and Dow Jones communications director called on marketers to “be strong” in the face of negative comments in social media.
“There are people who attack us for our CSR initiatives,” he said. “But as a brand you’ve got to be strong and ignore the people who hate the brand, and the people who say you did this just for PR.”
“Don’t listen to the trolls and believe that what you’re doing is right,” he said.
Also on the panel was Paul Groves, the group CMO of AIA, the insurance company which has Malaysia Airlines as a client.
He said that the company struggled with the dilemma of whether it should have publicised that AIA compensated those affected by the MH17 and MH370 disasters, even though the firm was not obliged to pay out for a missing plane and one downed by a missile.
“We were talking to other insurers, asking them if they thought we should pay. Our guys said we should put a big story out about the fact that we would. But we didn’t. We are humble about what to say and when to say it,” he said.
“We struggle a lot with – not CSR [corporate social responsibility] – but the burning desire to say we’re doing a good social thing,” he said.
“It’s the insight that’s lacking. We get lots of information from customers. But it is listening to own people and making sense of that that is an untapped resource,” Grove said.
Toby Smith, general manager of product at Cathay Pacific, said that the airline, which carries 30 million passengers a year, gets its “fair share of trolls” and often relies on the people who love the brand to defend it.
“Our best defence comes from our frequent fliers. They don’t exaggerate,” he said.
“You have to have a thick skin. If you are a sensitive person, then customer service is a very tough place to work,” he said.
Robin Hicks
In the last two months i have been over charged in excess of 200 $$… This is on a rough spend of around $600 thereabouts a month… The onus has been on me to call them out for the incorrect billing, two trips of which where ‘phantom’ trips… IE: i never even met the driver nor saw him yet i recieved a bill for his services… the other times the driver has purportedly collected me from an address I was even at… Their data has shown this to be true…
if that makes me a fraudster then I guess I am one!… you idiots..
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I’m with uber idiot, I.e. A ‘fraudster’!
Uber’s customer service and attention to detail is appalling.
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Uber people used to pose as passengers and ring competitor car companies and car services in New York and elsewhere….and never show. So they know something about fraud.
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For the time being, Uber is the wild child enjoying it’s moment in the spotlight. We’ll all tolerate it while it continues champions a better deal for the end consumer. But the love affair will wear off because it has no control over the end user experience – The Driver.
And that’s where the issue has always been. Arguably, NSW Transport and the Taxi Council are far better placed to fixed that through legislation and open access policies..
You need only look as far as NSW Government’s Open Data initiative to recognise there’s something there that may prove far more disruptive than anything Uber brings.
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“people who complain the most are the fraudsters” rubbish! They are your heavy users who value THE IDEA of the service, what you promised – and the implementation is just not living up to the expectations you set.
UBER drivers cancelled rides, took other passengers during peak hours and turned up, and arrived up to 20 minutes after ‘uber driver is arriving in 2 minutes’ 6 times during a 2-week period. In all of these cases, I waited by the curb, not taking other passing taxi drivers and was late to meetings.
Its a great concept that we need and when it works, it works brilliantly, however unlike Sydney transport, we have expectations that they will turn up on time and deliver us quickly to our destination, every time, consistently delivering against your promise – because we’re paying significantly for it!
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t charge a premium for them. And certainly don’t throw service complaints back heavy users / ‘complainers’ faces. Nice work. Go in gogo
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oh an if i had a dollar for the amount of times drivers in the ‘higher end’ cars have said ‘here is my number, call me when youre leaving and we can do cash…. we both win…. Far From uber is correct…. totally flawed …
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I can’t help but think a number of the commenters here may have an ulterior motive to speak negatively of Uber.
I use Uber on a near-daily basis, making about 20 trips a week (mostly UberX), and on the few occasions I have had any issues with drivers their customer support has been brilliant. I submitted a query regarding an excessive fare on Sunday morning and had a refund in my bank account later that day, all with just a simple, single email.
#justsayin
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That’s chutzpah! Law-breaking Uber has the gall to complain – about anything!
Every single Uber transaction in NSW is a breach of the law.
You may disagree with the law, but the way to change it is in the Parliament.
And every breach makes these obscenely wealthy shysters even richer.
A bit of advice, Uber: shutup.
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Completely agree with Callum. I use the service multiple times per week and have never had any major problems. Every time I left feedback I received a quick reply or even just a quick note to say that my feedback was acknowledged. I actually prefer Uber X to normal taxis now.
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